Walking the Line
by Snickerick
Summary: AU. Katara finds a strange boy in front of her apartment...Rated for language.
1. Chapter 1: Like hell

So, this is an AU and pretty much present day. Though, there still are benders.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters

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**Walking the Line**

Problem One: Like hell

Katara's life was like hell, at least by that day. Surely everyone has felt that feeling, especially when your blasted alarm clock doesn't wake you up, or when it alarms again, you have only 5 minutes time to get ready for work. And surely you're cursing the alarm clock, the works and your entire life to the lowest hell ever existed as you run around your apartment trying to find socks that are the same paired. And _of course_ you have lost your keys or the toothpaste has run out. You run out of the apartment very frustrated of everything and think nothing can be even worse. _Wrong_. Either you find out that your car has been stolen or someone has collided a huge dent onto the other side of it (the side that is towards the road) _or _an elderly woman from the next door wants to borrow sugar _right now _because she accidentally forgot to buy it and she can't finish her anyways-going-to-burn cake without it. Either you turn around and throw the neighbor by a full pack of sugar while passing _or _think how to get rid of that old hag without insulting her old and sensitive spirit _or _just rush past her saying 'Good day' and hurrying to your car or the nearby bus stop.

The alarm clock's red digital numbers turned from 7:49 am to 7:50 am when it finally started to ring it's annoying alarm. Katara snuggled deeper into her covers, trying to ignore the alarm, which was impossible because the sound grew even louder and louder. Despite all the noise around her bedroom, she yawned, not even opening her eyes, and wrapped the warm blanket around her tighter. When she was about to drift into sweet dream again, the alarm clock made a very strange noise as it was about to bite the dust (well, it _was _an old alarm clock…). That made her snap from the dream and the comfort of the warm bed.

"Oh, shut up you…", she muttered while sitting up, clear annoyance in her still groggy voice. She sat up and closed the alarm by slapping the clock. She yawned again and stretched her arm. For a moment, she just sat there doing nothing. Then she turned her head to look at the clock. "_WHAAT?! _7:56 pm!?"

She bounced up from her bed and begun searching for her clothes. Unfortunately, she hadn't had time to clean her apartment for a while because of the whole lot of hours she had been working lately and the clothes had been thrown all over the floor.

"Surely I've put the alarm clock to snooze in my sleep…Oh _goddammit_!", she cursed while pulling a T-shirt over her head.

But as she seemed to be out of luck that day, she stumbled and fell over onto the floor, screaming in surprise. So there she laid, on her stomach and cursed her day. When she finally got up, which was kind of hard since she had banged her other knee and it ached, she realized it was already past eight. She hurriedly dressed herself with jeans and socks which were lying on the floor and rushed into the bathroom. And _of course _her hair happened to be extra-messed up that day and she had to spent a whole lot of minutes to deal with it with gritted teeth. And the mug slipped from her grasp as she was taking it from the cabinet, and it rolled across the bathroom like it wanted to get away from her.

When she finally managed to get herself ready and even out of the door, she discovered that her car keys were lost. She turned around and rushed into the house. She hunted for the keys but they had decided to be unfound. She glanced over her shoulder at the clock and decided to go by bus. It wasn't clever to search around for some blasted keys when she was perfectly capable of going by public transport. The next buss would come in any minute, so she hurried to the nearby bus stop.

Of course the bus was late, the certain bus that you're waiting (especially when you're late) comes always at least fifteen minutes late, and there came at least six buses before the right finally arrived. And splashed water onto her as it drove over a large pool of dirt. Katara yelled in frustration. Great, that only made her day even better than it already was… She quickly waterbended the dirty water away from her and stepped into the bus. Fancy that the bus driver happened to be the grumpiest extremity one had ever seen; the kind that glowered behind his steering wheel, the glance saying: 'dare to step into this bus, and you're gonna to be murdered'. But even the bus driver flinched at the scowl that Katara gave him back. Her cold blue eyes could've killed him right then and there.

Katara sat down and sighed deeply. Finally she would get at the work. She was already badly late, and she wasn't sure how her boss would react at that. She had been working there only for about half of the year and she could get fired easily. Since it was hard to find a job nowadays, especially when you were just about 20, she wished she could keep her job. She surely didn't want to go to her parents begging for maintenance. Besides, she felt really good when she was on her own, earning her own money for living. She felt so…self-contained and that she could survive from everything.

_C'mon live_, she thought, very bold. _Throw something at me, I can take it. I'll show you nothing can knock me down…_

She left the bus at a bus stop which was near at a huge hospital. Yes, she was a nurse. A young genius that had graduated earlier than anyone else. She had to admit that she liked her job. Every day was different and she got to meet different people every day. She was very social, so that was more than just a good thing. And her co-workers were also very kind. She really enjoyed her job.

She walked inside the huge building where the life was busy as ever. She felt cozy right from the moment she stepped in, she worked at her best when there was hurry and pressure around her. People considered her as a bit crazy for liking to work with such things like 'haste' and 'stress'. Some of her few friends dreaded such a word named 'working'. Well, they were little rich bitches who worried only about what they would wear, and were they tanned enough. And of course did they have enough makeup on their faces. To be honest, Katara never had liked those bitches, and hadn't kept touch with them since she graduated from high school. They would be as bitchy as they ever wanted; she couldn't care less. She appreciated fun and nice company, not make-believed and backstabbing group. She'd rather be alone than with such a company.

"You're late!" someone snapped behind her. Katara turned around and saw a short, maybe a bit stocky, woman staring at her grimly, her hands placed on her hips.

Katara gulped. Her boss wasn't very easy to deal with. She regretted her earlier determined thoughts; the life was throwing something at her at she certainly wasn't ready to take it.

_Oh why why why I was so stupid to even __**hope**__ troubles?_ she cursed herself in her mind. _Surely this isn't anything good…_

"I can explain", the blue-eyed young woman said quickly, her voice trembling just a bit. "You see, there was this old and unreliable alarm clock of mine…and the lost keys… and the bus that splashed water over me…"

The boss just shook her head slightly, placing her other palm against her forehead. Her expression showed pure disbelief.

"And what you're saying is that you overslept, didn't find your keys and the bus was late?" she asked.

"That's correct!" Katara nodded, thanking Tui, La, Agni, Koh, Hei Bai and what else spirits there ever were for that her boss understood her case.

Suddenly, her boss laughed out loud. Katara looked at her, confusion written onto her face. What was so funny about all this?

Her boss calmed down, "Let me tell you: I've heard that same story for about a thousand times in my career", she put her hand onto the girl's shoulder. "But since you're so young, I'll watch this through my finger for this time."

She passed Katara, leaving her standing in the middle of the corridor unable to think or do anything.

"You still have your work to do! Hurry up!" her boss called from the other side of the hall.

Katara hurried into the locker room and changed her clothes considerably more quickly than she had dressed at home. When she was ready, she went to the other nurses and asked it there had come some new patients.

"Oh, here you are! Let me guess: you're late?" somebody said to her.

That voice was very familiar to her, and she turned around, "Stop it Yue! This day has been like hell, okay!"

There was clear amusement on her friend's face, "My apologies, oh Your Sensitiveness", she said, over-humbled tone in her voice. She bowed deeply.

Katara couldn't resist the smile that forced itself onto her lips, "I'm sorry", she said. "But really, this day has kicked my butt…"

"It's okay", the snow white-haired woman said. "So, how was your weekend?"

Katara shrugged, "Fine, I guess."

Yue placed a finger onto her lower lip and looked thoughtful, "Hm, you said you were going to visit her parents. So, did you?"

Katara rolled her eyes. She knew where her friend was aiming at, but she wanted to tease her a bit, "Yeah, Mom made a great meal. And Dad has bought a new car. And the neighbor's old cat has moved to their place. Mom gives it milk, it is funny that that cat actually drinks it…"

Yue played with her fingers, "How about your brother?"

There it came. Katara had noticed her friend's crush on her brother (well, you had to be blind not to see it…) when Yue happened to come to her place while Sokka was visiting her. Boy, that girl had totally fallen for her brother, she still thought only about him though it's been a few months since she'd seen him last.

"Oh, he wasn't there", Katara said cheerfully. "But he called me on Friday and told me about his new fiancée…", she glanced at Yue from the corner of her eye.

Yue gasped and her face turned to red from the cheeks.

"…Really..?" she murmured. She looked down and hid her blue eyes. "Well, tell him my congratulations…"

Katara laughed at her friend who had taken her teasing so seriously, "Just kidding! You should've seen your own face!"

Yue frowned at her, "Katara…You…"

"Peace, Yue, peace", Katara calmed down. She liked bantering her friend, who never got angry at her. Well, not really. "Excuse me, but I have a patient waiting for me…"

She left her company and headed to a single room, the room number 49. She knocked lightly to the door and stepped in.

"Hello, Toph", she said as she entered the room. "How's your day?"

"The same boring blindness", the girl replied, swinging her legs over the edge. She swung her legs back onto the bed, sitting more comfortably. "Have my parents talked with you about the laser surgeon?"

Toph's parents were very rich, so they would have to money for the surgeon. She had been blind ever since she was born, but the doctors said it would be better to wait till she turns to 12 before doing the surgeon.

"No", Katara sat down onto the bed. "But I'm sure they'll bring it up anytime soon."

"But my birthday is the day after tomorrow!" the girl said. She bent her legs against her chest and wrapped her arms around them. "What if… what if they think I'm better off here, being blind and out of their faces?"

Katara placed her hand onto the blind girl's shoulder, "That's not true."

Toph smiled a bit, and then jumped down from the bed, "Well, even if they won't do the surgeon, I can still see!" she placed her hands to her hips, sounding determined and cheerful. "By earthbending! I've learned to see on these plastic floors!"

"That's the Toph I know!" Katara cheered. She had always enjoyed Toph's company, she was strong and tough and didn't let her blindness dispirit herself. That's what she admired in her the most. And even if Toph had her…'moments of weakness', she wouldn't show them. She was so strong, even though she was just a 12-years-old girl.

Katara listened to Toph's determined speech and smiled to herself. Yes, she really loved her job at times.

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Katara walked back home across the twilight pavements. She had had a long day and all she wanted now was a hot shower and the comfortable, warm bed that already called for her. She could already feel her tense muscles relaxing under the warm shower, and how sweet it would be to drift to sleep… She planned to forget about combing her hair or washing the laundry. All she wanted for now was just to get some sleep.

As she got to her in front of her apartment, she froze in shock. There was someone lying on the stairs of her apartment.

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I hope you liked this, never done an AU like this before :) Hmmm... Can you guess who's lying on in front of Katara's apartment? Reviews please, people :)


	2. Chapter 2: The stranger on the doorstep

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.

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Problem Two: The stranger on the doorstep

What would you do if someday you found someone lying on your doorstep? Your first reaction would probably be pure shock. After clearing your thoughts you surely kneel down, maybe shake him or her a bit and ask if he/she is alright. And if the stranger doesn't wake up you dig out your cell phone from your pocket and call an ambulance (which you hope till the very end you wouldn't have to). But if you happen to be a nurse by yourself, you might want to check him/her out before doing anything else. If the stranger (and you) is lucky enough, you might would get off with a scare. Then you would be able to invite him or her to your house to take a cup of tea or coffee (whichever she or he prefers) and maybe you still have a couple of pieces of a cake left over from yesterday's cup cakes. You would ask some things about the quest and maybe, maybe you could make friends with him/her…

Katara stood there like she had frozen into her tracks, trying to clear up her shocked mind. The boy laid on her doorstep, it was clear that he had got beaten up, unconscious. She just stared him in shock, unable to think anything. There was blood coming from his nose, the other corner of his mouth and temple. Katara tried to breathe, but the breath felt like it stuck into her throat and refused to leave. She tried to think clearly, put the thoughts in order in her confused mind. Someone actually had got beaten up _in front of her house_. That took a lot to a person like Katara to take. That poor thing… If she hadn't got to work, if she would have slept to the midday… Maybe she could have stopped the violence in time? She could have kicked the bullies' butts by waterbending, to do anything to spare that poor guy from this. As a nurse she -of course- had seen much worse than this, but also because of her job she didn't want anyone to get hurt.

Katara knelt down and examined the guy closer. The damage didn't look like anything critical, so she was pretty sure she could take care of the wounds at her home if she got his awake first. So, she came to the another problem: could she wake him up?

Katara shook the guy lightly from his shoulder, "Hey, wake up…Are you ok?"

She shook him for awhile and talked to him, trying to get him awake. Finally he stirred a bit and opened his eyes wearily. He looked very confused and just half-awake. The confusion was written on his face, she could see that the world was whirling around in his head. He winced in pain and held his head as he tried to sit up. His hands stained in blood, and the blood flowed more onto his clothes. The boy looked up at her, but didn't say anything. He just glanced at her, clearly trying to figure out who she was and where he was. Obviously he was at least as shocked as she was.

"Hello there", Katara smiled, happy that he woke up.

He remained silent, and Katara wondered what kind of person he was. She tried another way.

"Are you hurt? There's flowing blood out of you, you know", she tried to lighten the awkward atmosphere. She wanted to calm down the shock he was in.

Finally, the guy opened his mouth to speak, "…Where am I?"

"In front of my house. Apparently you've got beaten up and were unconscious", she explained. She wondered how horrible he might felt, to wake up in front of a stranger and not knowing the location.

He glanced around and his voice was fulfilled with puzzlement, "…Your house…"

Katara stood up, "Yes, and I think it's better if we go in. So that I can check out your wounds", she said when she saw his puzzled expression. She helped the young man up and began to walk inside. As she opened the door (which she noticed she had left unlocked), she turned around to face him. He looked very hesitant while scratching slightly the back of his head.

"C'mon, I can take a good care of you. I'm a nurse", she gave him an encouraging smile and nodded her head towards the doorway.

Slowly, he walked after her into the dark and deadly-quiet house. Katara threw her jacket towards a coatrack (and missed it) and started to bring the house to life again. He watched as she put the lights on into the hall, living room and kitchen while talking about this and that.

"…I'm sorry that my home is a bit messed up… I haven't had time to clean… You know, the long working days… And when I have a day off, I'm too tired to even get up…", she chattered while gathering up some bandaid and disinfectant onto the dining table. "Sit down, and I'll check you out", she patted the chair next to her.

Reluctantly, he approached the chair and carefully sat down as she moistened a wad of cotton wool. She looked up at him, and found his stare…disturbing. She froze under his eyes as they were…attractive. Yes, that was the right word. Attractive, never saw anything like them before.

As she kept her eyes locked at his, he started to feel very uncomfortable. He cast his eyes to the floor and his own feet to evade her stare.

She quickly shook her head and cleared her throat. How embarrassing! She gazed him like an idiot! She felt her cheeks turn into red, and the air in the room felt very hot. Like it wanted to burn her. She was sure she could firebend the hell out of the whole damned house by the heat of her cheeks. Only if she were a Firebender…

"Let's see…", she muttered, trying to fake her staring as if she was just examining the damage on him. "I think we should start from your nose…"

The blood was still flowing out of the slightly crooked and broken nose. Some of the blood had dried under and around it, and she wondered which she would do first; clean or straighten it up.

"Look, your nose is a bit crooked", she began, looking into his eyes, this time for purpose. "I have to straighten it up. I wanna be honest with you, so I have to say it does hurt. Maybe not as much as you think, but still. But first, I'll clean it up."

He nodded solemnly as in agreement. She sighed and the wad of cotton wool approached the damaged area, carefully starting to wipe away the blood. He took a sharp breathe because the stinging disinfectant.

"I know, this stings a little but soon it'll be over", she said with her calming nurse-voice.

He bit his lower lip, but allowed the blue-eyed nurse to continue on her task. When she had managed to wipe away all of the blood and dirt she stretched her back, preparing to deal with the nose.

"Ok, this won't feel very nice, but I'm pretty sure you don't wanna leave it crooked to the other side", she uttered as she examined the damage. The young man nodded slightly. The nurse reached out her hands and slowly touched his face in order to be as gentle as possible. The guy shut his eyes tightly and waited for the treatment to be done. He grimaced in pain when she quickly snatched his nose and straightened it, but he didn't make any sound though it hurt very, very much.

"There you go", the Waterbender said with pleased tone for she had handled it so quickly. The boy didn't look relieved but thanked her anyway.

She took a new wad of cotton wool, "By the way, I'm Katara", she introduced herself and moistened the wad. "What's…"

Her question was interrupted by her cell phone, which started to ring somewhere in her purse.

"Excuse me…", she stood up and left the room. She followed the sound to find the purse for she had no idea where it was. "Where is that blasted phone…?" she muttered under her breath while searching around. Finally she found it under her jacket and quickly answered without checking the ID.

"Hello?"

"Katara, it's me. Yue", a familiar, well-known voice reached her ears.

"Hi! Is something wrong?" the blue-eyed young woman asked.

"No!…Well, kind of is…", the other female trailed off.

Katara leaned against the doorway, "Tell me."

Her friend and co-worker hesitated, "I… I really do want to tell you, but… this is really awkward… To be told in the phone, you see. Could you drop by at my house, tonight?"

Katara took a quick glance at the kitchen where she saw quest sitting at the table.

"…Katara? Are you still there?"

She quickly shook her head, "Yeah, I'm hanging in here…"

"So, are you coming or not?"

The Waterbender sighed deeply, "I'm sorry, Yue, but I can't tonight. But come to my house tomorrow and we'll solve out your problem, ok?"

"Okay…Bye, then", the snow-white-haired young woman sounded so disappointed that it made Katara feel guilty. But she had more important things to do, she told herself. She felt like to be in response of her quest's well-being, so for now she put the patience above her friend (which she would later make up to Yue).

She went back into kitchen where he waited.

"Come", she said and winked towards the hall.

He arched an eyebrow, wondering where he would be going now.

"Where?" he asked without making a single move to get up.

"To the bathroom, of course", she said and put the first-aid stuff into a cabinet above the microwave. "I'm sure you want to clean yourself up, right? This way…"

The young man followed her upstairs, slightly looking around with a bit curious expression on his face.

"That is my room", she pointed towards the first of the three doors. "And this is the bathroom…", she opened the door next to her bedroom.

The bathroom was small, but cozy and tidy. Katara loved the deep-blue ceramic tiles the room was made of, they fitted well as she was a Waterbender herself.

"Well, this isn't a large one, but I'm sure you manage", she said. She opened a cabinet next to the door. "Here… Feel free to use anything in here", she took a fair-blue towel and some toiletries. She placed them to the boy's arms and patted his shoulder with a smile. "I'll go down to make something to eat."

"Thanks", he said and she left the room.

She descended down the stairs, listening to the pouring water coming from the shower. She gave the ceiling a smile. It felt so good to help someone in need. She touched the place above her heart with her other hand. She felt so… warm inside. That was the same feeling she had every time she saw a patience (especially a kid) recovering and being happy.

She wandered to the kitchen, pondering how to feed the quest. She found out she had only toast, cheese and cucumber in her cabinets, but she decided to manage with them. Nothing could ruin her mood now.

"A couple of toasts and a cup of hot chocolate should be fine…", she said to herself as she begun to make the 'meal'. Humming along the hit song coming from the radio, she didn't notice her quest appearing to the doorway.

"Where can I put my clothes?"

She startled at the voice and turned around. The knife on her hand dropped down to the floor. She found the boy dressed in dark blue jeans and a T-shirt she had left for him.

"Sorry, I didn't notice you already came", she picked up the knife. "Put them to the stairs. I'll wash them. Sit down, the toasts are almost ready."

He obeyed her immediately because his stomach was making noises that gossiped he hadn't eaten anything for a couple of days. After the shower, she noticed, he had become a little more relaxed.

"My brother's clothes go fine on you", she said in order to say something. Indeed, Sokka's clothes (that he had forgotten to her house) looked quite fine on him.

He looked down at the clothes and swallowed the food in his mouth, "I suppose."

After awhile, he added, "Though blue has never been my color."

She giggled a bit. True, maybe blue wasn't the right color, but it didn't look so bad either.

She sat down and took a toast for herself, "So, what's your name?" she bit the bread.

He fell silent and looked at the table.

"My name…", he said slowly. "I… I can't remember."

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A/N: I'm so, _so_ sorry for the long wait (in case you actually waited :D). I just lost my inspiration and interest in fanfiction for a while, and just recently I finally got my muse back... Hopefully the next update will come sooner. That is, only if you want xD  
Haha, I'm a really mean person. You _still_ didn't get to know who the guy is :D But I promise: it'll be revealed. Maybe in the next chapter...? Who knows ;D R&R please, though I certainly don't deserve it...


	3. Chapter 3: Meet my quest

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.

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Problem Three: Meet my quest

"My name…", he uttered slowly with horror tone. "I…I can't remember."

After hearing those words, Katara felt like choking to her toast. What did he mean he didn't remember? Wait, had he… had he lost his memory? She swallowed hard, trying to recover from another shock that had been thrown into her face that night. That made things way more difficult than one would've thought, she realized. More, _more _difficult.

The problem was how they would get his memory back. She had no idea how they should act, because in the hospital doctors usually said, like, : "The memory normally returns after some time, do not worry about it." But she wasn't going to tell him any of those clichés. No, there had to be another way.

She cleared her throat, "Well, _what_ do you remember then?" she looked straight into his eyes. "Your hometown, for example? Address? Family?"

He just shook his head slowly as she listed the things, eyes intensively locked to the table.

"No. Not a thing."

She gave a sigh. What was she going to do now? What was she going to do anyway? She couldn't just throw him out of the door and tell it was nice knowing him. She bit her thumbnail and her eyebrows furrowed, making clear she was thinking hard. Of course she hadn't expected he had an amnesia. She had thought that after cleaning himself she would have taken him to his apartment. But since he had no idea where he lived, that was pretty hard.

Folding her knees, she inquired, "Do you remember _anything_ at all?"

He shut his eyes tightly as he tried to search the deepest corners of his darkened memories. He rubbed his forehead by his other hand, and when he finally thought he'd remember something important, he lost it again into the darkness.

"Are you a student? Or are you working?" she tried to help him.

Then it hit him, "I'm… I'm a college student. No, I graduated in Spring…"

Hope jumped on the bottom of Katara's stomach, "Great! Anything else?" she asked enthusiastically. "Do you remember the name of the academy? That would help a lot.

He focused to search his mind again for a moment, but then shook his head.

"No, that's all I've got."

Katara's mood dropped a degree. Of course she understood him; when you couldn't remember something, then you couldn't. No one was able to force someone, even him-/herself, to remember something.

He noticed her expression, "I'm sorry, but I…I just can't."

She waved her hand as the matter was insignificant, "You don't have anything to apologize. You can't help about it, I understand."

Well, tomorrow would be a new day. Maybe a good night's sleep would help him recovering and remembering. Tomorrow she would help him to get his life back to normal again. And Yue would drop by… with her ever-lasting problems she would have to listen to…

Suddenly she felt very tired and sick of everything. It was like she had to take care of everyone's problems, listen to them, help them… But who would help _her _when she needed it? Tomorrow, she decided, tomorrow would be Yue's turn to finally help and listen to _her_.

She yawned, "I'm tired. Let's go to sleep."

"But…", he started, protest in his voice.

"You can sleep on the couch. I'll make a bed for you", she interrupted before he could say anything else.

He followed her into the living room, and watched while she made a bed in a jiffy. She had got used to make beds because of her job, so it really wasn't a big deal.

"You can watch the TV if you like", she told him when she had finished. "Just switch it off when you go to sleep, okay? I'm not a very rich person, you know…"

"Okay…", he nodded in agreement. But before she left the room, he stopped her by asking. "Katara?"

She turned to look at her quest, "Yes?"

He hesitated, then said, "Goodnight…"

"Goodnight…", she told him too. But while she climbed up the stairs, she had the feeling that 'goodnight' wasn't the thing he had wanted to say.

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He laid on his stomach on the couch, surfing from channel to channel. Not one of them showed a program he wanted to watch, but he stopped the surfing to the music channel. He dropped the remote softly onto the floor, and then tried to focus on his mind again. He rested his chin on the pillow, looking straight forward. Straight to the ficus that stood on a low table under the window, next to a little aquarium. He shifted his glance from the plant to the aquarium. The fishes were glaring at him, like they wanted to murder him. He quickly shook his head, and tried on focusing again.

Who was he? Where was he from? The questions whirled around and around his head. One thing he knew for sure: he wasn't from the same nationality as his hostess.

He drowned his face into his pillow and sighed, relaxing his muscles. Nothing, nothing. He could remember nothing.

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Katara was just putting some cinnamon rolls into the microwave when the doorbell rang.

"It must be Yue…", she muttered and hurried into the hall.

"Good morning! Hopefully I didn't come too early", the silver-haired female uttered when her friend opened the door.

"Not at all! Come in!"

Yue stepped into the house she was very familiar with, since she had been there hundreds of times.

"Do sit down", Katara pointed towards the dining table. "The coffee is almost done."

Yue flipped through newspaper while the Waterbender made something to eat. She pondered how she should tell the hostess about her "problem". Her friend would probably laugh at her and ask what kind of problem that was.

Katara tried to gather her thoughts. Telling about her quest to her friend made her feel so nervous, even her hands were shaking, though she didn't even notice it. But thinking about how Yue (or anyone in general) would react about the stranger living in her house (at least by the moment).

She took a deep breath and hid her nervousness, "So, what did you wanna tell me?" she sat down to the opposite of the silver-haired young woman.

Yue blushed, "Well, I…", the words stuck into her throat, but she decided to force them out anyway. "There is a guy I met last night… And, well, he kind of seemed to be interested in me…"

"So? You meet guys every now and then."

"But this guy is different. He's very… I don't know if this is the right words to describe him… dominating. Very… purposive, I'd say."

Katara listened to her friend, then said, "Well, what do you think of him? Do you like him…_that _way?"

Avoiding eye contact with the Waterbender, Yue stirred her coffee, "I do not know my opinion on him…"

"Then don't go out with him."

"It's not that simple."

Finally Yue looked up at her, "True, I said he's kind of purposeful, but he's also… very attractive."

Katara sighed, suddenly so sick of her friend, "I can't help you. You have to finally decide… _on your own_!"

Yue frowned, "Thanks a lot, Katara. I thought you wanted to help me!" she stood up with very uncharacteristically angry expression.

"What?!"

It was Katara who stood up next.

"It was _you_ who called me last night!" she almost shouted. "It was _you _who imposed yourself on here to whine about your damned little so called _problems_!!"

Yue opened her mouth to counter on her, but Katara didn't let her interrupt herself.

"You always talk about you or your matters! You never ask if I happen to have something to worry about!" she pointed furiously at her friend. "Well, since you never ask, let me tell you: I couldn't care less to listen about you whimpering about your insignificant problems, because I have enough _of my own_!"

After that the chocolate-haired girl shut her mouth and glared the other woman. Yue sat down, clearly confused about Katara's outburst.

"I'm… I'm so sorry, Katara", she muttered. "What a selfish… _bitch_ I've been…"

Seeing her co-worker so regretting, Katara calmed down.

"Look, I'm sorry I yelled you so…", the Waterbender began. "But you have to admit I was just being honest. Because that's what I really feel."

Yue nodded in pure agreement, "You're right. I'm the one who should feel sorry", she glanced up at her and gave a smile. "Thanks for saying all those things out loud. You opened my eyes."

"That's…", Katara started, but Yue interrupted her by lifting her other hand up.

"Please, let me speak. I've never noticed how unfair I've been… And a really miserable friend", she dropped her glance down back to the coffee cup, ashamed of herself. If her parents knew how… _disrespectful_ she'd been to her friend… how ashamed they would be!

Bringing back her eyes towards Katara, she continued, "So, my humblest apologies. Please, get furious on me if I ever do start doing that again."

Katara laughed, "You got a deal."

Yue then gave her a questioning look, "You said you had some… problems of your own, hm?" she had her teasing tone. "Tell me. That's why I'm here right now."

Katara wiped a hair lock behind her ear, "Well, last night…", she paused to think how to put her words right.

"Yes?" her friend asked with thrill in her voice.

"Last night when I got home there was this guy lying on my doorstep, he had got beaten up and I brought him in, checked his wounds, let him clean himself up and fed him, it turned out that he has an amnesia and remembers only that he graduated from college last Spring, and now he's sleeping on my couch", she let everything said out loud quickly and without taking breath.

Yue looked puzzled, "W-what…? I couldn't catch it."

Katara explained again, this time slower and with every detail requested by Yue.

Yue gave a laugh, "I see. So _that's _why you were busy last night!"

"Yue! This is a serious thing!"

"Of course it is. But I'm sure he'll be okay anytime soon", the silver-haired woman said. Then she asked enthusiastically, "Well, can I see him? Is he cute?"

"Hey, I thought you had the new guy around", Katara teased. "And what about my brother? Don't you like Sokka anymore?"

Yue blushed, "He never showed any interest in me, so…"

"So now you've given up, aren't you?"

The older woman nodded, then said, "Well, now I want to see your little quest!"

Katara led her to the other doorway that went to the living room. Yue gasped as she saw the sleeping quest.

"He's not bad-looking at all", she whispered hit the Waterbeder gently by her elbow.

"Okay, now you've seen him. Back to the kitchen", Katara pushed the other young woman away from the doorway. "What nation do you think he is from?" she asked when they sat around the table again. "Definitely not from the Water Tribes."

"It is pretty clear to me", Yue uttered. Katara arched an eye brow.

Meanwhile on the living room, the well-known quest opened his eyes slowly. He winced as the pain hit his head. For a moment he pondered where he was, but then he remembered again. He was about to get up, but remained still as he heard clear voices coming out from the kitchen. The other belonged to that girl, Katara, but the another he had never heard before.

"Open your eyes, Katara! You have to admit it: he's definitely from the…"

Katara shook her head in pure confusement, "No way…"

He felt like paralysed. The beating pain in his head. The memories came rushing into his mind. Some of them were clear, some of them still blurry. But there was one name that came clearly into the top of his mind.

_Now I remember_, he realized. _And my name is…_

* * *

A/N: Wahoo, a quick update! I surprised even myself ;D I'm a master of cliffhangering... But soon the guy's name will be revealed! Keep guessing! I love when you do that *evil laugh* ;D Oh, and can you guess who is the guy Yue was talking about (one thing is for sure: it's not Sokka ;))?? Do not worry, it'll be revealed too. But before that, keep on guessing! R&R please, maybe that will inspire me to update soon...  
(Oh, and about last chapter... believe me, straightening a crooked and broken nose really _does_ hurt. I talk from experience.)


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